Student knowledge about the use of animals in scientific research

Abstract Although the media has currently presented information on Bioethics, it is still poorly explored in school environments. Based on this, we decided to check the knowledge and ideas of students from two schools in the City of Rio de Janeiro. A questionnaire was applied and the students could comment on the theme “use of animals in scientific research”. After analyzing the data, we verified that the students’ knowledge is fragmented and that little of this knowledge seems to have been constructed in the school. However, the students showed interest in the subject, although some of them had no clear opinion about it. Our results show that the teacher who is aware of his role becomes an instrument for the formation of critical citizens, and that the reflection of the students about Bioethics is still nor encouraged enough, which can negatively influence decision-making in society.

摘要 尽管当前媒体已对生命伦理学（Bioethics）相关内容进行了报道，但该领域在校园教育环境中仍未得到充分的探索与普及。基于此现状，本研究针对里约热内卢市两所中学的学生展开调研，旨在了解其对该议题的认知与观点。本次调研采用问卷形式，要求学生围绕“科学研究中的动物使用”这一主题发表看法。数据分析结果显示，学生对该议题的认知较为零散，且其中仅有极少部分知识是在校园教育中习得的。尽管部分学生尚未形成明确的观点，但他们整体对该议题表现出了较高的兴趣。本研究结果表明，具备角色认知的教师可成为培育批判性公民的重要载体；但当前对学生生命伦理学思辨能力的培养仍存在不足，这或将对社会中的决策行为产生负面影响。